If We Shadows
by DeathandJunkfood
Summary: "Y'know," Remus said. "There is a reason the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. Werewolves aren't the worst things in here. Fairies are nasty tricksters – your parents probably told you all stories, didn't they?" In which the Marauders decide it's a stellar idea to go rambling through the forest, and they start telling fairy tales, because Remus is a nerd and the others humor him.


_**For the Houses Competition**_

 _ **House: Slytherin  
**_

 _ **Category: Drabble  
**_

 _ **Prompts:**_ _ **The Forbidden Forest is Forbidden for a reason**_

 _ **Word count: 868  
**_

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 _ **Disclaimer... these characters belong to JKR.  
**_

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"This is an _absurd_ idea."

"And dangerous," Peter chimed in. "Don't forget dangerous."

"And dangerous," Remus amended.

"It is not," Sirius said, with some indignation. "You run round here once a month, you should know it like the back of your hand."

"Ah yes," Remus said, nearly tripping over a tree root. "I almost forgot our midnight explorations. While I'm a werewolf. And you lot are – creatures."

"I don't think 'creature' is the right word," James said thoughtfully. He was bringing up the rear, folding up the Invisibility Cloak and shoving it in his pocket. Now that they were under the cover of the trees, the navy blue night sky was blocked out, and all that was visible was the tangled trunks of the trees.

"I think I'm more of a noble king of the forest."

"Sure," Peter said, dryly. He was lagging behind, looking reluctant. "Keep telling yourself that."

It was an unseasonably warm May evening, and the air lay heavy on their skin, scented with roses and honeysuckle. Peter sneezed. In the distance, they could see the faint lights of fairies. They darted from tree to tree, oversized fireflies.

There was a low, bell-like tinkle that James recognized as their laughter.

It was a wild feeling night, like anything could happen, and he was reminded of a snatch of a Muggle play that Lily loved.

 _'If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumber'd here, while these visions did appear.'_

Shadows, and visions, and fresh flowers, heavy on the air.

" _Why_ do we need to do this?" Remus asked, breaking the almost respectful silence.

"For fun," Sirius told him, slinging an arm round his shoulders. "Also, have you ever heard of anyone spending the entire night in the Forbidden Forest?"

"No," Peter said mutinously. "Probably because they all died. Or were horribly mauled. There's _werewolves_ in here-"

He broke off, looking at Remus, who grinned back.

"And probably lions," Remus said, sounding more cheerful.

"Tigers?" Peter suggested.

"Bears," James finished. Lily had made them all watch _The Wizard of Oz_ , last summer, their first introduction to movies.

"Definitely bears," Sirius whispered.

The fairy lights were closer now, and even though their laughter was closer, somehow it sounded more distant. Like they were being heard through fog, all echo-y and difficult to place.

"Y'know," Remus said, picking a sturdy looking tree and sitting down amongst its twisted, knotted roots. "There is a reason the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. Werewolves aren't the worst things in here. Fairies are nasty tricksters – your parents probably told you stories, didn't they, Sirius?"

"Probably," Sirius said indifferently, joining him on the forest floor. "They didn't exactly tell me _normal_ bedtime stories. Lots of bloodshed and stupid Muggles. But there were a few fairy stories in there."

"My mum used to tell me about the Bean-Nighe," Peter said. He perched on a fallen log, itching a mosquito bite on his knee. "She washes the blood from the clothes of those about to die."

"Sounds unsanitary."

"My dad used to tell me about the Duergar. They're these sort of ugly dwarves – they try to trick you into wandering into bogs and drowning," James told them, remembering suddenly. It had been a long time since his dad told him bedtime stories.

A ritual that had stopped a long time ago – the lights dim in his room, a hint of wild magic in the air, so different from the staid, sensible magic his parents did every day. A touch of the unknown.

"My dad told me stories about the Glaistig. She was a goat-lady that would seduce you and drink your blood."

Remus sounded almost fond.

"And I thought _my_ bedtime stories were bad," Sirius muttered. "'Dromeda would talk about Asparas. She called them sky-dancers – she said if I tried meddling in things that didn't concern me, they'd come and exhaust me, so I would forget whatever it was I was being nosy about. That's a far nicer story than goat women and gruesome washer women."

Night had truly set in, and James could hear the music and laughter of the fairy revel, not very far away. He could see the dim outlines of his friends, hazy and soft in the darkness.

The music, so inviting and rollicking before, had softened and slowed until it was almost a lullaby.

"I suppose it's different, for Muggles," James said sleepily, his eyes starting to flutter. "They don't know it's all real, do they? It's just a story, and then they can fall asleep and dream."

 _'And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream…'_

"Or fairy circles," Remus went on. "People who fall asleep in them, and wake up two hundred years later."

"Like Rip Van Winkle," Peter said, a touch of the non sequitur.

"'xactly," Sirius said, sounding a bit sleepy, himself.

"These fairies are nice ones, though," James said. He tipped his head back, gazing up at the criss cross of branches, slicing their way through a butter-soft sky. "They'll watch over us while we sleep."

 _'So, good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends.'_

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 ** _Well, that was somewhat rambling. But I was in a fairy tale mood, and I always sort of thought that wizarding kids would get told fairy tales but there would always be that unspoken, 'and they're all true...' going on.  
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 ** _Disclaimer... The quotes are from Shakespeare's '_** _A Midsummer Night's Dream, **' which I have an affinity for. Thanks so much for reading!**  
_


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